Fish lure



8, 1939. F. c. HARTUNG 2,168,476

FISH LURE Filed April 29, 1937 .F ZZX 616 Patented Aug. 8, 1939 UNITED SUTATES.

msnwnr. v 1 Felix c. naming. Chicago, n. ri uQauonQm-H 29, 1931, Serial salsa-res 6 Claims. n This invention relates to a fish lure, and more particularly to an improved spoons One feature of this. invention is that it provides a spoon which may be'readily controlled in the water; another feature of this invention is that when the spoon is drawn through the water various currents therearound and therethrough interfere'a'nd create a disturbance area effectively concealing the hooks; yet another feature is that the hook or hooks are reversible so that the direction of movement of the spoon may be reversed; still another feature is the provision of an improved coupling means for carrying a three-pronged hook; other features and advantages of this in-. i ll vention will be apparent'from the following specification and the drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a spoon embodying this invention; Figure 2 is a side elevation of .the same spoon; Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the spoon with the position of the h6oks reversed;

Figure 4 is a vertical transverse section along the line 1-4 of Figure 2; and Figure 5 is a detailed view of the improved fastener.

. The present spoon, through the use of slots in the body anda careful proportioning of the shape a '85 ll having sides substantially parallel to the iongitudinal axis of the body, and then tapering to a point." As will be readilyapparent from consideration of Figure 2, both end portions are also somewhat co'ncavowonvex, but in a direction op- .40 positeto' that of the central portion H.

The central portion is here shown as provided with two slots 15 and it. These slots are slightly arcuate in shape, and much longer than their effective width. As will be seen in Figure 2, their 45 eifective width is somewhat greater than is apparent in Figure 1, since the opposite edges of a slot are not in the same plane. These slots start near the outer edge of the central portion of the body and extend toward the neck portion ll,

50 converging toward the longitudinal axis of the body as they doso. The outer ends of these slots are sov placed as toibe somewhat further from the axis than the sides of the neck portion I;

while the-other or inner ends of the slots'are 55 closer to the axis than said sides.

' While any convenient material can be used to construct this spoon, a half hard brass of about- .04 inch in thickness has been found preferable for a spoon about four inches in length. The

drawing represents the preferred embodiment of 5 v this spoon, being an actual or lifesized reproduction, in all respects, of the preferred embodiment of this invention.

The central portion ll of the body has fastened therein a pin l'l, on which pin are pivotally 10 mounted hooks l8, l9 and 20. The hook I8 is of such length as to project beyond either end of the spoon, and is soconstructed and arranged as to be rotatable about the pin so as to lie at either end of the spoon desired. In each case 15 it lies along the longitudinal axis of the body and isyieldingly retained in place by a groove at each end coinciding with the axis. This hook is here shown as protected by a weed guard 21 of line wire, so constructed that passage through weeds 20 moves the end 22 back along the shank of the hook I8 to efiectively protect the barb of that hook. On the other hand, this wire is so flexible that any fish taking the lure readily compresses it and is impaled on the hook.

The spoon is also shown as provided with the hooks l9 and 20, previously mentioned, also pivotally mounted on the pin [1. The shanks of these hooks'project through the slots l5 and I6, and their range of movement is therefore limited. They can, however, be reversed in accordance with the directionin which it is intended to move the lure throughthe water. Figures 1 and. 2 show all three hooks in the position preferable when the lure is being pulled through the water with the end I! foremost; and Figure 3 shows the preferred position of the hooks when the lure is being towed with the end It foremost.

Assuming that the arrangement is as illustrated in Figures 1 .and 2, so that the lure is to 0 be pulled through the water with the end I! foremost, theslots are of particular importance. When the lure is being moved through the water in this manner, currents flow through the slots l5 and I6 and at the same time up around the sides of the neckportion I, particularly where this neck portions joins the central portion of the body HI. These various currents strike each other and create an interference which shoots a stream of water up about an inch above the 0 plane of the body, at the same time creating a V-shaped wake. This disturbed water condition covers the hooks, and in connection with the slight wiggling action of the lure very eifectively prevents a fish from recognizing the nature of the u object moving through the water. Where the spoon is being pulled along the surface, this wake is of such strength and character as to be visible approximately twenty feet or more behind the spoon.

when the spoon lands in the water with the front point facing up, as illustrated in Figure 2, it moves along a little below the surface of the water with a relatively fast reel or trolling speed. When the spoon lands upside down, in a reverse position, with the front point facingdown, it will skim along the very surface of the water, even with a very slow reel. When the position of the hooks is reversed, as illustrated in Figure 3, the spoon becomes an under-water bait, travelling ata considerable distance below the surface.

The spoon is provided with an improved connector which may be used for connection to the line, through a leader or otherwise, or to carry an additional or alternate hook, as illustrated in Figure 5. The spoon body is provided at each end with a pair of holes or openings, these openings lying on the longitudinal axis so that one of them is further from the end than the other in each case. The connector 25 has a substantially straight body portion 26 and a pair of reversely bent ends 21 and 22. In each case, these reversely bent portions are so shaped as to snap around the straight body portion 26. The portion 21, however, is adapted to pass through the opening 28 furthest from the end before terminating in the hook-shaped segment 29 which snaps around the body portion 26; the portion 2|, on the other hand, has the segment 30 which first snaps around the body portion and then terminates in the hook 2| which passes through the opening 32. This arrangement enables the fastener to be readily connected and disconnected, and moved from one end of the lure to the other, while at the same time it prevents a line or a hook, such as the three-prong hook 33, from becoming tangled in the slots or other hooks in the lure.

The arrangement is such that five or more different hook setups can be had with this same lure, which is adapted for use both as a surface or an under-water spoon. First a treblefeathered hook alone may be used, as illustrated in Figure second, a treble hook may be used with the two side hooks I9 and attached to the central pin or screw II; third, two side hooks and one permanently fastened central hook, such as 18, can be used (here the hooks can be changed from one end of the spoon to the other) fourth, a single hook, as the hook ll, may be used and turned to either end of the spoon desired; and fifth, three Weedless hooks can be attached to the screw or pin l1 and set in any desired position.

While I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable ofmany modifications.

. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the appended claims, in which it is my intention to claim all novelty inherent in my invention as broadly as permissible, in view of the prior art.

I claim:

1. A fish lure of the character described, including: a body having a concavo-convex central portion and end portions of reduced width; a pair 'of slots through said central portion, said slots having a length several times their width and converging gradually toward the longitudinal axis of said body; and a hook carried by said body.

2. A fish lure of the character described, including: a body having a concavo-convex central portion and end portions of reduced width, one of said ends having a neck portion with sides substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said body; a pair of slots through said central portion, said slots being slightly arcuate and converging gradually toward said axis as they approach said neck portion, said slots starting at a point further removed from said axis than the sides of said neck portion and extending therewithin, whereby when said lure is drawn through the water, currents fiowingthrough said slots andaround the sides of said neck portion interfere; and a hook carried by said body and lying within said interfering current flow.

3. Apparatus of the character claimed in claim 2, wherein said end portions are reversely concave-convex with respect to said central portion.

4. A fish lure of the character described, including: a body having a concavo-convex central portion and end portions of reduced width, said end portions having grooves along the longitudinal axis of said lure; a pin in said central portion projecting out of the depression formed by the concave portion; a hook pivoted on said pin and adapted to extend beyond either end when the shank thereof lies in one of said grooves; and means on each end of said body adapted to have a line attached thereto.

5. Apparatus of the character claimed in claim 4, wherein said central portion has a pair of slots therethrough and at least one more hook is pivotally mounted on said pin and has the shank thereof projecting through a slot.

6. A fish lure of the character described, including: a body portion; a hook substantially centrally pivoted on said body and adapted to extend beyond either end thereof, each end of the body being provided with a groove adapted 

